Conn. Gen. Stat. § 31-23

Current with legislation from the 2024 Regular and Special Sessions.

Section 31-23 - Employment of minors prohibited in certain occupations. Exceptions

(a) No minor under sixteen years of age shall be employed or permitted to work in any manufacturing, mechanical, mercantile or theatrical industry, restaurant or public dining room, or in any bowling alley, shoe-shining establishment or barber shop, provided the Labor Commissioner may authorize such employment of any minor between the ages of fourteen and sixteen who is enrolled in (1) a public school in a work-study program as defined and approved by the Commissioner of Education and the Labor Commissioner or in a program established pursuant to section 10-20a, or (2) a summer work-recreation program sponsored by a town, city or borough or by a human resources development agency which has been approved by the Labor Commissioner, or both, and provided the prohibitions of this section shall not apply to any minor over the age of fourteen who is under vocational probation pursuant to an order of the Superior Court as provided in section 46b-140 or to any minor over the age of fourteen who has been placed on vocational parole by the Commissioner of Children and Families.

(b)

(1) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) of this section, a minor who has reached the age of fourteen may be employed or permitted to work as a caddie or in a pro shop at any municipal or private golf course, and a minor who has reached the age of fifteen may be employed or permitted to work as a staff member at a youth camp, as defined in section 19a-420, as a lifeguard or in any mercantile establishment as a bagger, cashier or stock clerk, provided such employment is (A) limited to periods of school vacation during which school is not in session for five consecutive days or more except that such minor employed in a retail food store may work on any Saturday during the year; (B) for not more than forty hours in any week; (C) for not more than eight hours in any day; and (D) between the hours of seven o'clock in the morning and seven o'clock in the evening, except that from July first to the first Monday in September in any year, any such minor may be employed until nine o'clock in the evening. Any minor who has reached the age of fifteen and is employed or works as a staff member at a youth camp or as a lifeguard shall be supervised by a person of at least eighteen years of age.

(2)

(A) Each person who employs a fourteen-year-old minor as a caddie or in a pro shop at any municipal or private golf course pursuant to this section shall obtain a certificate stating that such minor is fourteen years of age or older, as provided in section 10-193, and

(B) each person who employs a fifteen-year-old minor as a staff member at a youth camp, as a lifeguard or in any mercantile establishment pursuant to this subsection shall obtain a certificate stating that such minor is fifteen years of age or older, as provided in section 10-193, except that no such certificate shall be required for such minor employed by a municipality as a staff member at a youth camp or as a lifeguard. Such certificate shall be kept on file at the place of employment and shall be available at all times during business hours to the inspectors of the Labor Department.

(3) The Labor Commissioner may adopt regulations, in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54, as the commissioner deems necessary to implement the provisions of this subsection.

(c) No minor under the age of eighteen years shall be employed or permitted to work in any occupation which has been or shall be pronounced hazardous to health by the Department of Public Health or pronounced hazardous in other respects by the Labor Department. This section shall not apply to (1) the employment or enrollment of minors sixteen years of age and over as registered apprentices or registered preapprentices in a bona fide registered apprenticeship program or registered preapprenticeship program in manufacturing or mechanical establishments, technical education and career schools or public schools, (2) the employment of such minors who have graduated from a public or private secondary or technical education and career school in any manufacturing or mechanical establishment, (3) the employment of such minors who are participating in a manufacturing or mechanical internship, registered apprenticeship or registered preapprenticeship in any manufacturing or mechanical establishment, or (4) the enrollment of such minors in a cooperative work-study program approved by the Commissioner of Education and the Labor Commissioner or in a program established pursuant to section 10-20a. No provision of this section shall apply to agricultural employment, domestic service, street trades or the distribution of newspapers. For purposes of this subsection, (A) "internship" means supervised practical training of a high school student or recent high school graduate that is comprised of curriculum and workplace standards approved by the Department of Education and the Labor Department, (B) "cooperative work-study program" means a program of vocational education, approved by the Commissioner of Education and the Labor Commissioner, for persons who, through a cooperative arrangement between the school and employers, receive instruction, including required academic courses and related vocational instruction by alternation of study in school with a job in any occupational field, provided these two experiences are planned and supervised by the school and employers so that each contributes to the student's education and to his employability. Work periods and school attendance may be on alternate half days, full days, weeks or other periods of time in fulfilling the cooperative work-study program, (C) "apprentice" means a person (i) employed under a written agreement to work at and learn a specific trade, and (ii) registered with the Labor Department, and (D) "preapprentice" means a person, student or minor (i) employed under a written agreement with an apprenticeship sponsor for a term of training and employment not exceeding two thousand hours or twenty-four months in duration, and (ii) registered with the Labor Department.

(d) Each person who employs a minor under the age of eighteen years shall obtain a certificate stating the age of such minor as provided in section 10-193. Such certificates shall be kept on file at the place of employment and shall be available at all times during business hours to the inspectors of the Labor Department.

Conn. Gen. Stat. § 31-23

(1949 Rev., S. 7352; February, 1965, P.A. 186, S. 1; 1969, P.A. 203, S. 1; 498, S. 2; P.A. 73-49, S. 2, 3; P.A. 75-16; 75-282; P.A. 76-436, S. 617, 681; P.A. 77-614, S. 323, 610; P.A. 86-333, S. 26, 32; P.A. 87-195, S. 1; P.A. 88-360, S. 52, 53, 63; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 92-16 , S. 85 , 89 ; P.A. 93-91 , S. 1 , 2 ; 93-381 , S. 9 , 39 ; P.A. 94-116 , S. 27 , 28 ; P.A. 95-257 , S. 12 , 21 , 58 ; P.A. 97-38 ; 97-263 , S. 10 ; P.A. 00-144 , S. 3 ; P.A. 02-44 , S. 1 ; P.A. 06-139 , S. 4 , 8 ; P.A. 08-108 , S. 1 ; P.A. 12-116 , S. 87 ; 12-154 , S. 1 ; P.A. 13-261 , S. 7 ; P.A. 17-237 , S. 105 ; P.A. 18-126 , S. 8 .)

Amended by P.A. 23-0183,S. 1 of the Connecticut Acts of the 2023 Regular Session, eff. 6/28/2023.

Amended by P.A. 18-0126, S. 8 of the Connecticut Acts of the 2018 Regular Session, eff. 10/1/2018.

Amended by P.A. 17-0237, S. 105 of the Connecticut Acts of the 2017 Regular Session, eff. 7/1/2017.

Child employed in violation of section is not thereby precluded from compensation for injury otherwise compensable. 95 C. 164 . Former statute cited. 111 C. 232 . Violation of statute as actionable cause of death. 129 C. 439 . Although employed in violation of statute, plaintiff within workmen's compensation act. 131 C. 157 . Cited. 203 Conn. 34 ; 221 C. 465 .

See Secs. 22-13 to 22-17 , inclusive, re employment of minors in agriculture. See Secs. 31-15a , 31-69a re penalties for violation of section. See Sec. 46b-140(g) re employment of certain children for whom continued school attendance is deemed to be of no benefit.